Amin's Blog

And it’s about time. I felt this past week went slower than I could have ever imagined. However, due in part to my organized schedule I was able to budget my time effectively and not lose focus studying. Sure there were times when I wanted to play, but I forced myself to think that what I doing was fun! I think I did pretty well on my midterms. The Human Rights one was especially intricate because of all the terms, concepts and essay questions we had to study for. Did you know there were approximately 20 essay questions that we had to prepare for just in case our professor asked us on the test? It was truly nerve racking and my hand ached from all the writing but I managed to finish right before class ended. After the midterms were over I took a break, a HUGE break. For a whole day, I did whatever I wanted to do and there was no stopping me.

Now that my usual ranting about the past week’s activities is over I would like to continue by contemplating on an idea that pervaded my mind this past week. It was a saying by English writer Walter Savage Landor who was best remembered for his prose dialogues between historical personages. He stated, “Study is the bane of childhood, the oil of youth, the indulgence of adulthood, and a restorative in old age.” After being reminded of this passage I thought of how true this has become in my life. I could recollect the time when I reviled the thought of studying (I still do but not to the same extent!), but I have come to the realization that studying is imperative for a fundamentally sound education. I hope that once I get older I will regard learning as something to be exploited and enjoyed to the fullest degree.

Well, I have some announcements I would like to make regarding on-campus activities happening this week. I believe that we should take the initiative and get involved in our community. Sooo… are you currently providing service to the community, or do you want to be? Well . . . come to find out you're not alone! Find others with common interests: figure out how service learning connects to education, career, and life. Learn what your colleagues are doing and how to get involved. They will have information about education grants available through AmeriCorps. I know that is a big plus for those who are desperately looking for ways to pay those tuition fees. And guess what…they will be having FREE FOOD and BEVERAGES and oh yeah…you’ll get to meet new people. Service Learning Conversations will be held in UW2-228 Tuesday, November 13, 3:30-5:00 p.m. with special guests Ron Krabill and Nancy Place, and on Wednesday, November 14, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

So, do any of you happen to catch the summer show of “Last Comic Standing?” Well, it’s a pretty hilarious show that features comics from all walks of life. I watched a few of last season’s episodes and was cracking up when it came time to start heckling the comics. These hecklers would say anthing to try to distract their opponents from their performance routines. Anyway, one of the contestants from last season’s comedy show is coming to UWB!! His name is Matt Kirshen and although I don’t think he won the contest he had some funny bits.

He will be performing on Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 6:00 pm. The show will be located at the North Creeks Events Center. It is officially titled “UWB’s Comedy Night.” Did I mention that there will be FREE PIZZA as well? Make sure to bring your UWB ID because not having it could cost you $5. I suggest that you all come, it should be pretty interesting what Matt has to say.

Switching subjects...are you thinking about that special someone in your life. Someone that makes your heart just melt with a mere glance. Well think no more because DATE NIGHT IS THIS WEEK. “Knocked Up” will be playing on Wednesday Nov. 14th at 6:00 pm. For those of you that haven’t seen the movie yet, it’s hilarious but the guy dies at the end…oops sorry wrong movie. No, I haven’t seen this movie yet but I heard it’s great. Plus you have the added bonus of making free fleece blankets while snacking on some scrumptious treats, so why not go. Don’t have a date? No big deal, it’s not a requirement.

Okay, I promise last announcement. Movie Night is next Wednesday on Nov. 19th at 7:00 pm. The movie that will be playing is…drum roll please…. SUPERBAD!

I remember going to the theaters and watching this movie for the first time. It was so funny!! It's worth seeing again so y’all come to the Movie Night on Nov. 19th … ya hear? And bring some friends to tag along with.

As you all know (or may not know because some of you did not vote, ahem!! ) the elections for Director of Public Relations has concluded and thus I would like to congratulate Sara Nausner. She is our new ASUWB Director of Public Relations! Sara, I know you will do a great job. Alas, I forgot to share with you all some emails I have received since blogging for this campus. I shall not neglect duties again. I will be divulging some of my latest emails in my next blog, you can count on it!

That’s it for me folks, I hope you all have a wonderful week and don’t forget to write me:

aminm11@u.washington.edu

I am so glad that this week (at least for me in terms of classes) is over. It felt like such a short week...maybe we should always have Monday's off. Anyway, I was going through my emails and I realized that I had quite a few responses from my blogs that I would like to share with my readers. But, before I begin I would like to express my gratitude for taking the time to email me your thoughts about my blog. I think my appreciativeness can best be summarized in the words of the great English poet William Shakespeare: "I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks."
--------------------------------------------------------
Amin, I really enjoyed your bit about budgeting your time. Like you, I work, go to school, all while having to deal with the transition of going to a university so I can understand how important this can be. However, I am still working on not procrastinating which, I'll have to admit, is pretty tempting sometimes. I think setting my schedule in 2 hour increments is a good start for me as well. I was really surprised though at how your professor was able to study from 8 in the morning all the way until midnight. Now that is some SERIOUS STUDYING!! Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I understand where you are coming from and you are not alone. Keep up the good work.

This email added some fire into my stomach and motivated me to maintain my rigorous schedule. I was so glad to read from someone that was facing a similar suituation, I would be interested to know how that student is doing keeping up with such a busy life.
----------------------------------------------------------
Hey Amin, way to go on the environmental science piece. I feel really passionate about the enviroment and I love to see more people feeling the same way. I have heard about 21 Acres, but I never got to see it for myself. From your description of the place, it sound like their really into cultivating the land and working with animals in a environmentally friendly way. It will be exciting to watch it grow in the future months and see they reach their goal of providing NATURAL food for the whole community.

I am curious to know how 21 Acres fits into the global context considering the fact that we humans are the main culprits for polluting the Earth not to mention the whole deal about the intensification of agriculture sparked by the "Green Revolution." I hope that people take note of what these local farmers are doing. I'm acutually going to start planning on buying my food straight from the local farmers market. This is so that I know where my food is coming from and I can establish a relationship with the farmer.

When I went to this field trip, I hadn't really thought about the effects 21 Acres or farms such as that one will play out in the world. Maybe people will use projects such as this one as an example of how to be more environmentally aware and take action.
-----------------------------------------
"Thanks for the blog! I’m a philosophical sponge as well…glad to know there are others!"

This one was from a professor from interdisciplinary arts and sciences department at UW-B. I was honored to read what a professor thought of my work. I hope I find others who are "philosophical sponges" as well.
---------------------------------------
So, thank you for your wonderful responses. I know I left out a few emails from students, but I would like to thank those people as well for sharing their opinions.

There is a ski trip offered to this year's freshman that I am really looking forward to. We are going to go to canada for a weekend! You know what that means...skiing, snowboarding, and sight seeing. I guess were staying in a really nice place.

The final details are still being worked out, and the cost is relatively chep as it will pay for the ski lift and room, transportation and maybe a nice dinner. I've never gone skiing or snowboarding before but I am looking forward to the experience and I hope other freshman will join us.

There is will be a short lecture on global warming on Nov. 28th at around 4;00pm in the UW-2 building room 005. This lecture will be followed by the showing of Al Gore's award winning movie "An Inconvenient Truth."

This will be a great opportunity for those who are not familiar with the current environmental issues and want to learn more. FREE FOOD AND DRINKS will be AVAILABLE to all UWB STUDENTS!!

Well, I guess that concludes another day in the life of a UWB student. I think there are only about 4 more weeks of school left, so start making plans for what to do once schools out. This is Amin, signing off!
Questions or Comments?
email me: aminm11@u.washington.edu

Gobble Gobble! I had a feast, there was sooo much food set up last week for Thanksgiving that I had no hesistation digging into the traditional meal. My favorite (like always) had to be the stuffing. Once you mix that with gravy sauce it makes it absolutely exquisite. I'll admit just the mere thought of that savory food is making me a little hungry. For dessert we had the all-time favorite American pastime pumpkin pie with whip cream. YUM! Thankgiving is truly one of the best holidays of the year and I'm not just saying that because of the delicious food. It's a great opportunity for families to come together, spend time with one another and just take a break from hectic work schedules. At the end of the Thankgiving meal we all sat around in the living room to watch "License to Wed" with Robin Williams and Mandy Moore

Granted, there were some hilarious parts but in my opinion this really wasn't one of Robin Williams' better movies. Furthermore, it was great for me because I had family members fill out a survey on global warming that was part of our homework for my enviromental issues course. The survey asked questions such as, how important do you think global warming is, and how convinced are you that global warming is acutually happening. The survey also featured proposals to fund global warming solutions such as a $5 increase in the income tax. I got a laugh from one of my survey takers when one of the questions asked: would you support a ten cent increase in gas prices to fund global warming initiatives?" My relative stated "I don't think so, I already pay ENOUGH for gas as it is! " Yet, it was great to get a feel for what people think about the whole global warming schema because it provides opportunites for education and or promotion of the issue.

DURING THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND I ALSO GOT CABLE! Aside from its obvious benefits (i.e. MTV, ESPN, Sci-fi Channel, etc.) I was purely ecstatic because this means I can now watch the presidential campaign on C-SPAN, instead of going to Youtube to check out the latest speech from my favorite candidate. (Curious? Email me if you'd like to know). Also of course I get the History Channel which - as you know, being the history buff that I am- will provide me with more opportunities to learn about the world's history. I have to admit that these were the only two channels that I have been seriously watching. My human rights professor, who has given me so much advice on how to be a succesful and efficient learner, told me that on the very rare cases that he watches T.V. he takes notes on it. The shows that he watches are stricly case work studies done in different countries who violate the international code of human rights. I think this is a really good technique for retaining information and I will be taking notes as well.

Thanks to my fellow student Xheni Diko I was able to set up an interview for an internship at Congressman Jay Inslee's office. The internship listing was posted on Husky Jobs which (and I know I've said this before) is literally the greatest source for employment that I have ever encountered. It's not only fast but extremely easy to see hundreds of jobs on campus as well in the vicinity. If you haven't already I strongly recommend that you try out Husky Jobs and I guarantee that you will find something to your liking!

So.. has anyone seen the most recent career center newsletter? On Thursday January 31 there will be a meeting for potential lawyers. It is entitled "The Practice of Law" from 2:30 - 4:00p. Anyone interested in what it takes to practice law please come.

ATTENTION TO ALL STUDENTS WORRIED ABOUT THE UPCOMING FINAL EXAMS: The Campus Events Board is sponsoring Cram Night in the Commons next Thursday December 6 from 7-10pm in the Commons. The great thing about it is that there will be PIZZA, SODA AND SNACKS ALL FOR FREE, yes thats rights I said FREE! This will be a great opportunity for students to take a break from all the rigorous studying that I have seen on campus.

This has been such a great season at UWB and though I will be sad once the autumn quarter has concluded I look forward to the holidays. I really don't have a wishlist per se because I really don't know what I want (but...an XBOX 360 would be nice). It's hard to decide when there are so many products out there in the market (hmm...how about a laptop). Every year my mind seems to go blank (scratch the laptop how 'bout an iPhone). Anyway I'm really interested to know how your Christmas shopping went. I've already heard some great stories about the shopping wars on Black Friday, so if you have any please email me and I will post them up on my blog. This is Amin Montgomery signing off!

aminm11@u.washington.edu